National Republican., 1887-03-04

OF tteel, Although the two ordnance officers,
Col. huntington and Maj. Parker, OF the beard,
Rodman rife, entirely of cast iron, yet the
artillery and engineer officers of the board lis
tened TO the advice Of the ordnance office ut
washington, and the trial was not recon-.
mended as to the castiron gun, but the steel
gun designed by me was accepted In prefer.
ence TO any others offered, including several
ton. In short, the Getty board gave me credit
over all others for my design for steel breech.
loading rifle, and recommended that l0-inch
steel , rifle be made sfer my design with ,t1 this
cast.ifon 12inch. Rodman rifle to the select
committee on ordnance of which Gen. Logan
was chairman, aud offered to make such
It to a firing test OF ono hundred
rounds with charges OF 100 pounds powder and
AGO pound shot. and produce mugzle energy
OF 10000 foot tons on the sole condition that In
case IL endured this test a reasonable order
should be given for such guns: Gen. Benet
went before the committee and opposed the
acceptance OF my proposition on the ground
that steel should be used for guns instead Of
cast iron. Nevertheless, Congress appropriated
money for the thorough test of cast iron as a
contrgct for the fabrication Of five heavy rifles,
One i2- inch breech-loading Rodman rifle,
One l2-inch brecch-loadIng Rodman rifle,
cast iron body with short steel tube.
One Pinch breech-loading Rodman rifle,
One l2-inch muzze. loading rife mortar, cast
iron body with steel hoops.
One 1o.inch brcech-loadipg cast iron Rodman
These guns were all designed by the ord
nance office. found that my design. as given
| to the Logan committee, had been increased
| IN weight ffom forty.nve to fifty-four tons,
| This extra weight was placed mostly at the
| breech. Although the length had been in
| creased two oalibers, the thickness Of wall at
| the muzzle was left the same. found that
/ nv nrnyf1pd
charge, was changed so as 10 provide for 265
pound charge. As had confidence IN the
material did not protest against the pnex; ;
| did urge upon Gen. Benet the .propriety OF
| using projectiles of no greater weight than the
standard adopted for Pinch rifles in the Eng
The design for the i2inch rifle to be hooped
with steel and lined with steel tube was for
the same charge OF powder, but was two feet
shorter than the gun Of iron alone.
Now as 10 the earnest efforts of the ord
nance office TO assist me with my cast.iron gun
as Gen. Viele intimates, have well defined
know why Gen. Benet, after objecting to q
cast-iron gun as unsafe. when designed to be
fred with $50 pounds of powder and a7OC
pound shot. still goes on to design cast-iror
gun to fire 265 pounds Of powder and an 80
| pound shot, was II really an earnest effort
TO help me on with my cast. iron gum
| the 12-inch rifle tubed and hooped with steel
and to cost about twice as much as the cast
| iron rife, of shorter length than the iron gun,
and so, necessarily, OF less capacity to burn
powder and Of corfespondingly less power; die
he really expect more from the iron gun, o.
did he mean to leave the margin of strength
less In the iron gun? wish to know, OF Gau
Benet why three different kinds of powder were
used and three different methods Of loadinI
adopted in firing the five rounds ! wa
Obliged TO take the risk OF, according to my
and the last round of which, according to the
official report produced a pressure of i725l
poundsper square inch Of bore and 80 per cent
greater stress than the maximum charge o
suitable powder has since given.
And, finally, wish to know II Gen Bene
considers that the erosion OF the chamber o
this gun TO the depth Of two-tenths Of an incl
destroys Its seryiceability when II has nin'
ing comparatively light; When these question
are answered | may better appreciate thu
"earnest efforts" of the ordnance office to de-
If Gen. Vieie will candidly consider the mat.
ter he will find that his conclusion that "caSt
iron rihed guns, pure and simple, are not re
liable" is not well grounded" He will b
fairly considered. will justify such conclu
sion. The statement that II Is a "world estab
lished fact that modern guns must be mad
we reflect that Krupp Schneider, aui
Armstrong, three OF the largest monopolies Il
the world, and. combined with interested OF
fcials high, and low, are the only gunmaker
in the world. How are the nations to get gun
unless they take the type that these men fin
the most profit In furnishing. Is 1t necessar
that America should come into line wit
When when Gen. V Wiee f gives sober second though
TO the matter and regards only the interest Q
the people of the United States, he will see
different phase from the one ksp, 70 the fror
" 'A' President South Boston Iron Works.
Dr.. Bulls Cough Syrup has no rivals. .